James // kiss me like you mean it

[DJ Trighton]

Danielle had never been a worrier. She was pretty good at letting things be turned over to fate. If she was meant to get her writing done on time, it would happen. She'd never in her life spent an entire night awake and worrying over a guy. But she hadn't heard from James in three days. Technically, they weren't dating, so DJ probably didn't have a right to worry all that much. Still, she'd only gotten about fifteen minutes of sleep the night before. To be honest, she was starting to worry that her awkwardness had finally gotten to be too much for James, and she wouldn't blame him for not wanting to see her again. DJ wasn't the sort of person to be alright leaving things hanging, though. Even if he was no longer interested in her, she needed to know.

Clad in a pair of tattered skinny jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, Danielle looked especially tiny hugging her knees and sitting on the steps in front of the boys' dorms. Her back rested against a low brick wall that framed a "smoking area" outside of the front door. James would have to come in or out eventually, and she'd be able to talk to him then.

Head resting on her knees, DJ toyed with a ring she wore on the first finger of her right hand. While she wasn't willing to move on without figuring out what was going on, she also wasn't very good at waiting. Maybe she'd get lucky and James would be an early riser. It was only eight in the morning, but she hadn't been able to convince herself to wait until later in the day. That would have given her the chance to miss him.

[James Barker]

James felt terrible, he'd been in bed with a cold for about three days. he'd skipped class and slept in, ate very little and taken plenty of medicine. Now he felt just fine and when he hopped out of bed he couldn't be happier that his head wasn't swimming. He threw on some jeans and a tight red T-shirt, not to mention a gray sweatshirt because it was bound to be cold outside.

He grabbed his stuff for his first class, which was at nine am, but he had to eat, right?So he bounded down the stairs, phone in hand to call DJ. He'd been out of touch, mostly because he'd been sick. When he reached the front door he felt a little dizzy though and put a hand up to his head. Then he pushed open the door, looking down at his phone as he hit DJ's speed dial number.

As his eyes flicked up, he heard her ringtone. And there she was. Danielle was leaning herself against the wall, looking worried. James shut his phone and rushed over. "Danielle, I'm so sorry, I got sick. I swear."James's eyes were soft, things had been going so well, and then he fell off the map.

[DJ Trighton]

She hadn't memorized his class schedule, so DJ had no idea when to expect James to come out of the building. She could have been sitting there all day, but she figured it would be worth it. She'd just let out a long sigh when she heard the door open. At first, she wasn't going to look up. But then her phone started to ring. It wasn't the default tone, either. She'd given James his own ringtone, and the sound of it caught her off guard. She turned her eyes upward, quickly focusing on him. For a moment, she was torn between hugging him and yelling at him. She'd been worried, and she'd come very close to assuming he never wanted to talk to her again. She opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by James' words.

"I thought you didn't want to see me again," she admitted, her voice soft and a little shaky. She chewed her lower lip and tilted her head, her eyes searching his. He seemed to be telling the truth, and she couldn't bring herself to question him. If he'd been sick, so be it. It happened. That just meant they had a lot of catching up to do.

Danni had three classes to go to, but at a public university, most of the teachers didn't take attendance. If you showed up for tests and passed them, professors didn't mind. "Are you going to class today?" she asked, not quite willing to ask him to stay with her. She didn't have the right to ask him to give up whatever plans he had for the day in favor of hanging out with her.

[James Barker]

James pulled her to him in a hug. It killed him that she was so sad. They weren't really dating, but they had something real. And he should have been more careful to call her, DJ was obviously fragile and new at this. "I'm sorry. and of course I want to see you again!" Did she really think so less of him? If he wanted to call it off he would have done it like a man.

"Well I was going to, because I haven't gone in three days," James said, but he could sort of hear more in her voice. She didn't want to be left alone. And he'd cut class for her. She was his girl after all, he'd kind of been thinking of her as his girlfriend since they kissed but he never asked. "But I'm perfectly willing to cut class to hang with my girlfriend..." He let it trail off as he lifted his eyebrows lightly. The question, will you be my girlfriend, was obviously implied.

[DJ Trighton]

A bright grin stretched over DJ's face. While she hadn't been given any indication that James wouldn't want to see her again, she couldn't fight the doubt that was gnawing at her insides. Fortunately, he'd just proven that he wanted to be around her. Her eyes sparkled and she fought the urge to jump up and down.

Figuring sitting down wasn't the most incredible thing she could be doing, Danni stood up, but the moment she hit her feet, she fell down again. Had she heard him correctly?! His girlfriend?? She'd never actually been anyone's girlfriend before, but she was more than ready for that first time. "Well... I don't want you to get more behind in your classes," she mumbled, blushing a deep scarlet. Slowly, she climbed to her feet again. Her fingers reached for James' and she laced them together. It felt right, and that was one thing she was sure she'd never doubt. If only she could convince her father that not all guys were evil...

She hadn't even really considered the possibility before, but suddenly, her blush faded and the sparkle in her eyes died a little. "Unless by your girlfriend you mean..." She couldn't finish the sentence. Could he possibly be referring to someone else? She hadn't taken him to be that type of guy, but a lot of guys were jerks. Her fingers loosened themselves from his and she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes fixed on her shoes. If she was being stupid, she'd rather know now and save herself the hurt of getting more involved.

[James Barker]

James laughed as she nearly toppled over, helping her back to her feet lightly. But he watched as her face changed and she pulled away, which made his sadder than it wouldn't have been normal to feel. "I was talking about you silly." James said with a smile, taking her hand again. What was she even thinking? What else could that have meant? Another girl? If he were the type to juggle girls, he would have kept it a secret. "You will be my girlfriend, right?"Sometimes her worry made him a little crazy, she had to trust something once in a while. And he really wasn't about to hurt her. He really cared. Granted, they were still getting to really know each other, but she had to know better by now.

And if she said yes, there was no way he was going to class, he'd just get the notes from someone, he was a decently good student, he wasn't worried about keeping up. Danielle was more important to him than class, not to mention, she was the fragile type, and he didn't want to hurt her, didn't want her to break.